Katara and the Sun
by theshippinglife
Summary: Katara is ill, very ill, and the group is desperate to save her. Maybe she was missing a certain... spark. Maybe the good Prince can help her with that? It's a whirlwind romance filled with confusion, humour, and above all else, love. Not that Katara knows it yet.
1. Chapter 1

Zuko spent the rest of the night unpacking his things, what little he had with him, at least. Finally, he placed the portrait of his Uncle Iroh on the small table next to him. After Katara's outburst, the firebender was tired of everything. He ate lunch mechanically. It was an awkward lunch, and not much was said. Even though he was part of the group, he still wasn't part of it. They laughed, he didn't. They shared jokes he didn't know. He wasn't one of them. Dinner came and went, and soon, the light of the moon gave the temple an eerie glow.

Katara was bending, it always relaxed her. She needed to calm down. Aang needed a teacher, and as much as she hated to admit it, Zuko was a powerful bender. But she also needed to practice. She had been weak recently, and needed to draw her strength from the full moon. Katara stared at the moon, basking in its light. Suddenly, a dizzy spell hit her, and Katara saw black spots float in her vision. She stumbled and leaned heavily against the fountain, until Katara slipped completely and fell beside the fountain, the black spots completely taking over her vision.

Zuko couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for hours before he just got up and left. Zuko walked around the temple, until he came to a fountain. The pool shined blue and the moon reflected on its surface, the light breaking into a million pieces. A shadow was near the fountain, and Zuko began to get worried. He rushed to the temple only to find Katara, unconscious.

"Katara?" Zuko became more worried. "Katara!" she groaned, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She sat up in Zuko's lap and clutched at her head.

"What the hell happened? This never happened before," she muttered. The full moon basked them in its light, and Zuko couldn't help but notice her smooth mocha skin, flawless and soft in the light. She smelled like panda lilies and jasmine, with the fading scent of the ocean. She really was beautiful; anybody had to be blind to see th-

He really should be more concerned about her health.

Katara was tired – so tired, even though it was a full moon. She was too tired to walk, much less bend. Katara didn't move from her place in the fountain, nor open her eyes. I can sleep near the fountain, she thought. Just for one night.

Zuko needed to take care of her. She needed a bed to stay in, not a mat on the floor. He would take her to his room, he decided. As a form of compensation, for all those years of being evil, he thought afterward, as if he needed an excuse to take care of her.

Katara was in the state between dreaming and being awake, that hazy state where she would drift in and out of consciousness. She was flying, and she wasn't sure it was in her dream state or reality, but nonetheless, she was flying.

"Yip yip, Appa," she mumbled quietly. When did Appa's saddle get so soft? It was like silk…

Zuko couldn't help but grin at the powerful waterbender in his arms as she mumbled incoherently. It was clear she needed a full day's rest. He laid her gently on his bed, covering her in his blankets. Zuko sat next to her, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly, changing his temperature to be warmer. He placed a hand on her cheek and let his warmth course through her. He heard a contented sigh from Katara, and gave a soft smile. Laying himself down on the floor, Zuko curled up and soon fell asleep with a certain water tribe girl in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Katara woke up to a wonderful woodsy scent, with small hints of smoke and ash. She cracked her eyes open to find herself wrapped in luxurious red silk blankets and bathed in sunlight. She felt refreshed and ready to start the morning, still unaware of where she was.

Zuko had just woken up, at first wondering why he was on the floor until he suddenly remembered why. He turned to check on Katara, only to have her tumble over his feet and end up sprawled on top of him. Both tried to sit up, but the blankets and their legs were both tangled together.

"What are you doing? Why are you in my room?" she screeched.

"Your room? This is MY room!" Zuko yelled back angrily.

Wrong choice of words.

Katara gave an indignant squeak as Zuko lifted both of them off the ground and tossed her back onto the bed. She sat up and glared at him. Zuko leaned against the doorway and glared back with as much ferocity.

There was an awkward silence until Katara finally burst.

"What am I doing in your room?!" She ground out. Katara suddenly thought the worst and looked down for any sudden soreness between her legs. She gave an inner sigh of relief when her clothes were still on, wrinkled, but still intact. Katara looked back up to see a look of anger and pain on Zukos face.

"You really think I would do that to you?" He whispered harshly. Her eyes widened and she stood up to reach out to Zuko. He simply got up and walked out the door, but not before turning around and giving Katara a hard glance. "On the contrary, I helped you last night. Guess I'm not as much of a monster as you make me out to be."

Katara was immediately overcome with a feeling of guilt. What had he done last night? She could hardly remember a thing, just her waterbending being weak… Oh well. It was only Zuko.

Those words somehow felt wrong though, even if they were only in her head. Katara shook her head and got up to leave to get breakfast ready.

"Katara! What took you so long! I'm _hungry_," wailed Sokka, stretching out the word 'hungry'. Katara quickly put a smile on her face and began to stir the water. After a while, it began to boil and she had created a thick juk. Handing them out, Katara filled another bowl and was ready to give it to Zuko. She even sprinkled it with fire flakes – his favourite.

"Hey, where's Zuko?" she wondered. Sokka looked up, thick juk dripping down his chin.

"Probably in his room. Here, I'll go give it to him," piped up Sokka. Katara nodded and handed him the bowl, watching him disappear into the shadows of the hall.

Zuko heard a knock on the door, followed by Sokka, carrying a bowl of juk.

"We didn't see you out there, so Katara brought you some juk. Here," Sokka thrust the bowl towards him. Zuko peered into the bowl to see it sprinkled with fire flakes. Where on earth did Katara manage fire flakes? Didn't matter, Zuko loved them anyways. He stared at Sokka expectantly, hoping that he would be able to eat his juk in peace.

"Anything else?" Zuko asked. Sokka was staring at something on his bed, and when Zuko realized what it was, Sokka had already dived for it. "Wait, no!" Zuko yelled. Sokka was already holding up the necklace between his fingertips.

"Why do you have Katara's necklace?" Sokka inspected the necklace, as if it were a piece of rotten fish. Well here's a chance for payback, thought Zuko.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he crossed his arms and gave a satisfied smirk. Sokka immediately became red in the face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" yelled Sokka. Zuko shrugged and lay back on his bed, letting his legs dangle over. Sokka stood impatiently. "Smells like panda lilies, and… jasmine," Zuko said quietly. Sokka squeaked and ran out of the room.

"Katara! Katara!" Zuko heard through the hallways. He grinned to himself and continued to lie in the bed, his juk long forgotten.

10 minutes later Katara thundered into a room like an angry platypus bear and slammed the door shut.

Spirits have mercy on me, thought Zuko.


End file.
